The invention relates to a wallet for use by pari-mutuel betters to keep track of their folding money, written notes and pari-mutuel tickets during the events on which they are betting.
Pari-mutuel betting machines are widely used at horse race-tracks, dog tracks and jai alai stadiums. The machines dispense to persons making bets uniformly sized pari-mutuel tickets approximately two inches by four inches. During the course of the races or games, a serious bettor may accumulate a dozen or more pari-mutuel tickets and, when the events are finished, the bettor needs to present his winning tickets to be turned into cash.
In addition to the money needed to purchase pari-mutuel tickets and the pari-mutuel tickets themselves, many serious bettors also carry a pen or pencil and a notepad containing information about the race transcribed prior to coming to the track or stadium and also to make computations and notes relating to the races or game being played.
Since the usual apparel worn by both male and female pari-mutuel bettors does not contain pockets suitable for orderly segregation of their cash and pari-mutuel tickets, I have invented a unique pari-mutuel bettor's organizer which separates winning cash from betting cash, stores purchased pari-mutuel tickets in separate slots for the event to which the ticket pertains, segregates winning tickets in an easily accessible slot, and also provides space for a notebook and a pen or pencil.
A number of types of pocketbooks, cases and wallets have been suggested for carrying paper money and business cards, tickets, calendars, memo pads and the like. However, the only patent of which I am aware that is specifically directed to a ticket and money holder for use at dog tracks is Price U.S. Pat. No. 3,360,027 whose features are quite different from my organizing wallet.
My bettor's organizing wallet preferably is made with an outside layer of opaque soft leather-like plastic and an interior layer of transparent flexible plastic. The wallet is preferably of a size that when it is folded along its center, the wallet will fit into the breastpocket of a jacket or suit coat to be carried out of sight but still easily accessible to the bettor.
The wallet contains two identical pockets, one on each side of its centerfold. The pockets open along the wallet's edge parallel with its centerfold for holding paper money. These pockets can be securely closed by a snap or by two cooperating strips of velcro sewn along the insides of the open edges of each cash-holding pocket.
The wallet also contains a vertical row of preferably three slots appropriately labeled and sized to receive pari-mutuel tickets depending upon the number of the event to which the tickets pertains. This row of slots positioned one above the other lies on one side of the centerfold. The slots being in the clear plastic layer permit ready identification of tickets partially inserted into one of the slots.
On the opposite side of the interior of the wallet is a fourth slot labeled "winning tickets" sized to receive winning pari-mutuel tickets. Also on this side of the wallet is a slot designed to receive a pad of notepaper and a sleeve which is designed to receive either a pen or a pencil.
My wallet with the foregoing features will permit the serious bettor to transcribe useful betting information onto the pad prior to arriving at the track or stadium and also to securely carry all the folding money he intends to bet in the "betting cash" pocket of the wallet. Then as he purchases pari-mutuel tickets, they can be stored in an orderly way in the three "events" slots of the wallet and, as some of them become winning tickets, these tickets can be transferred to the "winning tickets" slot on the opposite side of the wallet. And, of course, as winning tickets are exchanged for cash, this paper money can be placed in the "winning cash" pocket of the wallet.